Florida eases truck restrictions as freeze threatens crops

| Friday, January 24, 2003

Florida issued
an alert Jan. 23 to the state’s agricultural producers that some
commercial trucking restrictions have been eased to enable the transport
of crops vulnerable to impending freezing weather conditions, The Orlando Business Journal reports.

Agriculture
Commissioner Charles Bronson's alert follows Gov. Jeb Bush's declaration
of a state of emergency. The alert to the Department of Transportation
calls for relaxing the weight, height, length and width restrictions
for commercial vehicles transporting vulnerable crops to processing
sites. An executive order easing restrictions remains in effect
for 30 days.

"Transporting
the vulnerable crops to processing sites without delay is necessary
to save them from destruction," Bush stated in the order. "The
relaxation of the restrictions … on commercial vehicles transporting
these crops is necessary to protect the agricultural interests of
the state."

Bronson asked
Bush to issue the order when it became apparent a severe and potentially
crop-damaging cold front was headed for Florida. The combination
of sustained low temperatures, very low humidity and northwesterly
winds of 10-15 mph is expected to seriously threaten agricultural
crops throughout the state, similar to the devastating freezes of
1985 and 1989.